Love is painful, isn't it?
by Jobeth-S
Summary: This is a late, late piece for OQ Week, Day 2: Being Caught. EF Missing Year. Robin catches Regina doing something she shouldn't. The act involves a magical heart.


He had enough of their grumblings, he couldn't argue with them any more, at least not for today. He was tired and needed some time alone.

It wasn't very easy for him to be alone these days, but he still craved it sometimes. He needed to be in the forest among the trees, surrounded by nature with no human company, not even Roland, not even his son. He needed to feel the calmness of that surrounding, because it was still the most peaceful place for him, even with the flying monkeys around. He could fight them if they would come. And to be honest he would rather deal with them now than to deal with his man. About half a dozen monkeys instead of his men, who decided to leave the castle and who also play hard to convince otherwise, the whole ordeal making Robin beyond disappointed.

So he came to the stables to get his bow and arrow – that he left here in the morning, after his uneventful patrol ended. The stables looked vacant, but it didn't surprise him, because the horses were usually taken outside to the pen at this time of the day. He didn't expect anyone to be inside, yet he subconsciously walked as he used to when he was a common thief, his careful movements ministered without any sound. Maybe he acted this way because in his mind, he knew that if he stayed quiet the chances to be bothered- even if someone was inside- were quite low. This way it would be easier to stay unnoticed, to be left alone.

He was about to reach for his beloved bow when he heard some movement from the back of the stables. The sound came from the farthest cabin, which they used to store straw and hay in for the hoses.

He curiously walked closer, his steps still soft with no sound, being completely confident that the sound was coming from a rodent who must have wandered away from the forest. When he reached the far back of the stables, he stopped at the thin wooden wall separating the last two cabins from each other. He hid behind it as best as he could to steal a glance inside while also trying to stay out of view. The semi-darkness that surrounded him also helped him to remain unnoticed.

He recognized her instantly, though he could only see her back, black cloak veiling her delicate figure completely, leaving only her hair, pinned up into a simple bun, uncovered. The Queen was sitting in the hay, facing the far corner of the cabin. She seemed to be occupied, but Robin couldn't see what she was doing from where he stood. Until her right arm rose up a bit, very slowly, only to reveal for Robin what she was holding in her hand, what kept her attention so much. It was a reddish object that glowed brightly, even with a carbon black middle. It pulsated desperately between slim fingers, and he knew what it was, never seen one for real before, he only heard how they looked like.

Magical hearts, taken out from the chest forcefully with dark magic, the same magic Regina had. This much he knew. But he had no idea whose heart she ripped out, or what was she planning to do with it here, hiding in the shadows of the stables. Robin was curious and also confused, so he decided to wait and see what the Queen was up to.

It had been months since they were living under the same roof, in her old castle, since they were all allies, having council meetings together, going to patrols side by side. They never interacted much beside fighting when their opinions went against each other's, though he saw her quite often nevertheless. Because Regina spent a lot of time playing with Roland, her „little knight" as his son called himself proudly, and Robin found that he enjoyed very much a view of this two together. Although, he recalled with a frown, they have not played once for a week or two.

Something happened, something was different about her, but he hadn't paid too much attention to it until now.

As he watched her studying the strange heart, holding it between her shaking fingers, he realized how much did he miss her in the past days. He missed watching her from the distance, while he was lurking from the cover of a tree, though he knew well, that she was going to notice him in no time, but he hid anyway. There were times when he sat close to them, to the laughing and chatting Roland and Regina, but he never joined the activities.

Roland often tried to drag his papa to come to play with them, but Robin saw the hesitance in Regina's eyes, the same hesitance she showed the first time Roland asked her to play with him. Back then Robin instantly reassured her with a slight nod, but the hesitancy still remained; her fingers playing unconsciously with the wrinkles of her skirt, her gaze held a familiar emotion that Robin recognized instantly. It was fear, but it was also something more. Vulnerability, denial. Then he caught her shaking her head slightly as looking pleadingly in his eyes, and he told her that it was okay. He understood that it was painful for her, but he also felt that she wouldn't be able to stay away from a child and their friendly requests for too long. In a few days Roland broke through her resistance and soon they became great friends. The Queen and her brave little knight.

She seemed so happy during those few hours with Roland. But something changed and she avoided them now.

Robin feared that the time will come when she would back away from them. However he hoped they would never get there.

Her strangled gasp was what brought Robin back to the present. It was only then that he realized, that the magical heart was nowhere to be seen anymore. Her breathing became visibly heavy and also loud enough for him to hear it even from the ten feet distance that was separating them form each other. Then her sitting figure unexpectedly swayed to the side, the same time as her right hand came to view again, empty now, her arm stretching to the side, fingers grabbing, desperate to reach something to steady herself. But she failed, and her tiny body collided with the wooden wall with an unforeseen thud.

That was all Robin needed to see to give up his hideout and jump into action. But he couldn't take two steps when his ears – helplessly ringing from worry – caught a new sound coming from her way. He suddenly stopped and frowned in confusion, now standing closer to her and still too far away. But close enough to hear her sobbing clearly as she curled herself a bit more tighter, half sitting against the wall, quite in an awkward position. Her shoulders were shaking as she was crying so hard that it brought tears into Robin's eyes.

He never saw her this openly emotional before. Even when she attempted to use the sleeping curse on herself she wasn't anywhere close to the shaken state she was in now. He never expected to see her like this knowing that she always bottled her emotions inside, veiling it with fierceness and sarcasm. And he was sure that if Regina knew someone was lurking around in the dark, watching her secrets revealed, she would not be too happy about it.

Still he could not get himself to leave her like this. He was looking for signs of injury, but he could not find any. Though she looked to be broken, what she did must have been painful for her. But this wasn't his place to interfere.

Who would Regina let close to her to at least check that she was okay? Who cared for her enough to try to make her feel better no matter what?

Snow.

He was going to get Snow, because he just couldn't let Regina sob herself into sleep in a corner of the stables, sitting in dirty hay. And it was getting cold, and what if someone else came to find her in this vulnerable state?

Luckily the castle was very close and he found Snow White in less then four minutes.

TBC

* littlejoregal on tumblr *

I'd like to thank my beta, _snoopydoodles17 _for her help! And also ysu73 for editing!_  
_


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